WEEK IN REVIEW: Laurels and Darts | November 10, 2017

The Arab Cultural Club (ACC) and the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) held the "Miracles for the Middle East" benefit banquet on Saturday, which was a social and philanthropic event that raised more than $1,200 to provide free medical care for children in the Middle East. The banquet’s proceeds went to the national chapter of the PCRF. We laurel these two organizations for their efforts to help children and make the world a better place.

CANCEL THE CLOUD

Rutgers merged its departmental email systems into one universal cloud-based service called Rutgers Connect last year, subsequently giving the administration the ability to capture private emails and documents from the cloud. The loss of individual departmental email systems and the inability to link University email addresses to outside accounts has been difficult for many faculty members and has made the system confusing and inefficient. We dart the administration for adopting this system without the full support of faculty, and subsequently making the lives of staff members more stressful.

NEW MAN FOR THE MUSEUM

Thomas Sokolowski has been chosen as the new director of the Zimmerli Art Museum. Among other impressive feats, Sokolowski led the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh for 14 years, was the director of the Grey Art Gallery & Study Center at NYU from 1984 to 1996 and founded an organization to commemorate the AIDS crisis. He aims to encourage dialogue about the rich history of social criticism in the Zimmerli’s collection as they relate to current issues. We laurel Sokolowski and the Zimmerli for their eagerness to take strides in improving Rutgers’ reputation in the field of art.

STOP THE STRESS

According to a New Jersey Health & Well-Being Poll conducted by the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy, about one-fourth of New Jersey adults have said they felt a “great deal” of stress in the past month as a result of financial troubles and poor health. The poll found that African Americans, foreigners and, to some degree, women all reported higher levels of stress when compared across demographics, which may be a result of discrimination. We dart the environment and circumstances that lead to so many people in the great state of New Jersey being overcome by stress.

PHILOSOPHIZE THIS

Last year, the Rutgers Department of Philosophy sparked its annual philosophy lecture series, which will work to draw some of the world’s most well-renowned philosophers to the University for years to come.The department partnered with Oxford University Press to kickstart the series. Undergraduate philosophy majors, as well as graduate students and faculty, are able to meet and converse with the lecturers first-hand. We laurel the Department of Philosophy for starting this event series, which will likely serve to drive the department even higher in the national rankings than it already is.

SUPPORT OUR STUDENT-MOTHERS

According to information presented at last fall’s Undergraduate Research Symposium, the University institutionally discriminates against young single mothers pursuing college degrees. About 96 percent of young single mothers pursuing a college degree either fail or drop out. We dart the University and the state’s Department of Higher Education for not giving enough attention to the aforementioned fact and failing to provide better support and more adequate resources for student-mothers.

The Daily Targum's editorials represent the views of the majority of the 149th editorial board. Columns, cartoons and letters do not necessarily reflect the views of the Targum Publishing Company or its staff.